Bags for accumulating and storing, for at least a short period of time debris such as trash, garbage, yard waste (such as leaves and brush), and recyclable materials (such as paper and metal), preferably have configurations which make the bags convenient to use. One problem with currently available refuse bags is that they are not self-supporting. Consequently, if they are not supported by a relatively rigid structure, such as a trash can, they collapse and must be opened every time they are used. One prior art approach is to utilize a frame such as a wire frame to support the bags, but there are a number of drawbacks with such frames. For example, it is necessary to have a frame for each bag. Moreover, the frames in and of themselves are a nuisance because they are handled separately from the bags and must be stored when not in use.
Until a bag is substantially full, the mouth of the bag tends to flop over and close. In addition, one side of the mouth may fall into the other side of the mouth and, if the bag is used to collect obnoxious substances such as wet garbage from a picnic, the obnoxious substances get on the hands of the user when the user attempts to open the bag and dispose of trash and garbage. When filling bags with yard waste such as leaves and brush, it is necessary to open the mouth of the bag with one hand and then fill the bag with the leaves or brush with the other hand. This is time consuming, annoying and sloppy. There are, of course, many other reasons to have bags which do not require at least one hand to open the mouth of the bag. For example, industrial situations, where it is necessary to store and transports and articles in relatively large bags the size of trash bags, would benefit from bags which could be filled more conveniently.